January 26, 2023 3:47 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes went through a morning walkthrough Wednesday and intends to practice as usual, raising expectations that the All-Pro quarterback will not be slowed by his sprained right ankle in this weekend’s AFC title game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mahomes said the injury is similar to one he played through early in the 2019 season, when he came back the following week to throw four touchdown passes in a win over the Raiders. The only difference is it’s the opposite ankle. The Chiefs and Bengals play Sunday night for a spot in the Super Bowl.
January 26, 2023 3:48 am
Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the start of the playoffs. Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Bengals QB Joe Burrow also are finalists for MVP. San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons are the finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year.
January 25, 2023 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kris Letang scored his second goal of the game with 54 seconds left in overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 7-6 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Letang, who hadn’t played since Dec. 28 due to a lower-body injury, also added two assists for Pittsburgh. His power-play blast from above the left gave the Penguins just their fourth overtime victory of the season as Pittsburgh, currently in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, opened up a small bit of breathing room over the ninth-place Panthers. Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Danton Heinen each had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh. Rickard Rakell and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Penguins. Carter Verhaeghe scored twice for Florida.
January 25, 2023 3:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Slick-fielding third baseman Scott Rolen has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with five votes to spare above the 75% needed. The seven-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner appeared on 297 of 389 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for 76.3%. He becomes the 18th third baseman elected to the Hall, the fewest of any position. First baseman Todd Helton was second with 281 votes for 72.2%, falling 11 votes short, and reliever Billy Wagner third with 265 for 68.1%. Rolen had a .281 batting average with 316 homers and 1,287 RBIs with the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds from 1996-2012.
January 24, 2023 4:08 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Former Notre Dame and Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec has come home to Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh native transferred to the Panthers in December after spending the last three years with the Eagles. Jurkovec says he wants to help Pitt take another step forward after winning a combined 20 games over the last two seasons. Jurkovec is one of three high-profile transfers with Pittsburgh ties who joined the Panthers in the transfer portal. Running back Derrick Davis came over from LSU and safety Donovan McMillon transferred from Florida. Both are from Western Pennsylvania.
January 25, 2023 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is being investigated by Major League Baseball following an allegation of domestic violence. Olivia Finestead publicly revealed the allegations in an Instagram post. Clevinger, a 32-year-old right-hander and a six-year major league veteran, agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract on Dec. 4. Finestead said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child and alleged he fathered two other children who were not hers. She posted photos of marks on her body with accompanying words that alleged the injuries were caused by Clevinger strangling her and throwing an iPad at her while she was pregnant.
January 24, 2023 3:55 am
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has been named to the Pro Football Writers All-NFL team for the third time in his career, the organization announced on Monday. Fitzpatrick and Talonga Hufanga of the San Francisco 49ers were named the organization’s two All-NFL safety picks. Hufanga is the nephew of Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu. Fitzpatrick was also named to the All-NFL team in 2019 and 2020. Those three seasons correspond with his three Associated Press All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl nods. This year, he was also selected to the inaugural NFLPA Players’ All-Pro Team.
January 24, 2023 3:50 am
SI.com is reporting a full LIV Golf schedule for 2023 that will include three stops at courses own by former President Donald Trump. And whether the rival league gets world ranking points will be decided by the four major championship and the chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking board. The Daily Telegraph says leaders of the PGA Tour and European tour and a longtime European tour executive have recused themselves. LIV hasn’t officially announced its 14-event schedule. The SI report indicates events at Trump National in northern Virginia, New Jersey and Doral.
January 24, 2023 3:52 am
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Karen Khachanov moved into his first Australian Open semifinal when Sebastian Korda stopped playing in the third set because of an injured right wrist. Khachanov will face either No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or unseeded Jiri Lehecka for a berth in the final at Melbourne Park. Khachanov was leading 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-0 when Korda retired from the match Tuesday. The 22-year-old American had received treatment on his wrist from a trainer during the second set. Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Rybakina will face Jessica Pegula or Victoria Azarenka next.
January 23, 2023 3:49 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Christian McCaffrey scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter and San Francisco’s defense did the rest, sending the 49ers to their second straight NFC title game with a 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco advanced to play the Eagles in the NFC title game next Sunday in Philadelphia after losing in that round to the Rams a year ago. The Cowboys lost for the record seventh straight time in the divisional round and have failed to make it to the NFC title game since winning their fifth Super Bowl title following the 1995 season.
